<p>I understand that affirmative action hurts Asians when applying to top colleges. </p>
<p>Everytime I look at decisions threads for HYPSM or other top schools, nearly every Asian who is accepted has a 4.0 UW. But their SAT scores vary pretty significantly. </p>
<p>When people say that adcoms have higher expectations for Asians due to their large volume of applicants competing for a small number of spots, do they more often sense it in terms of gpa or test scores? And if not either one, what else do they expect?</p>
<p>The admissions process isn’t transparent enough to know the answer to that question, and for good reason - it would probably lead to a lawsuit. Eventually, someone will crack the Asian quota with a successful lawsuit and we’ll know the answer.</p>
<p>I’m really tired of people saying there is a “quota” of asians or that they are sorted to a separate pool, the fact of the matter they are not. While if comparing two competitive applicants with similar stats, an URM status may give one an advantage, it is far from the thing they consider most or even a deciding factor.</p>
<p>My answer is that it depends. Would a 4.0 GPA be impressive if you have only taken some of the easiest courses offered, and not any AP or honors classes? Not really. Nor would it be impressive if you have a 2300+ but you have taken it four or more times times with a low GPA. Most admissions officers have said that they prefer a kid with a strong high school record over a kid that just has high standardized test scores which only shows your aptitude in taking a test on one Saturday morning. However, this could vary depending on the difficulty of the school, which is why standardized test scores are sometimes used to adjust for a school that may have inflated grades compared to the rest of the country.</p>
<p>My answer is that it is both that are necessary. But despite the competition, it is not a perfect GPA or SAT scores that necessarily get you in. My cousin who recently graduated from H said that her classmates were full of people who did something significant and followed their passions in high school, so ECs, letter or recommendations, and essays can in fact be a deciding factor. They want people that can constructively add to their college community, which is why some people are rejected despite having both of the above.</p>
<p>Last but not least, from a personal perspective, there are many other schools out there. You don’t necessarily need to view getting into college some big “competition.” Once I stopped feeling like I was focusing on what everyone else was doing, and started looking at schools in terms of fit rather than name or selectivity, I became much happier. Good luck</p>
<p>@AnEpicIndian: your very question is evidence at the heart of what you deem is bias against Asians in top school admissions. Your analyzing every point shift or hundredths of variation among GPA for admitted Asians – looking for casuation or correlation of an Asian being admitted or not admitted to a “top” school – is the VERY THING THAT makes so many people un-attractive to top college admissions commitees. Like others have tried to say, it’s NOT the numbers. It’s the intangibles – character, integrity, charm, charisma, athletic achievement, true interest in learning outside the classroom, desire to affect one’s community, willingness to color outside the lines, super achievement in some academic or artistic or athletic endeavor – these are what distinguishes wanted applicants among the virtual sea of 3.9+ GPA, 2200+ SAT applicants (Asian or not).</p>
<p>While one person may feel her only road to Stanford is to take SAT prep classes after a “disappointing” 2100 SAT, her friend is at the nature preserve birding and spending time with family, fully content with her 2100 SAT. That second person’s personal essay may be more interesting that the first student’s “typical” essay, which accompanies here 2240SAT score.</p>
<p>For UMich, there was a report in 2006 that indicates the average test scores of admitted Asians to be slightly higher than caucasian, while their GPA was about the same or a tad lower. The admission rate for Asian was also slightly lower than caucasian. However, there is not a quota per se as the percentage of Asian students still varies somewhat from year to year. The school wants to maintain a diversity on campus which gives advantages to some ethnicity and disadvantages to others. The same happens for different genders.</p>